At the moment it's difficult to avoid World Cup mania as the beautiful game has captured the imagination of the globe. To coincide with the World Cup EA have released a World Cup edition of their ever popular FIFA series and with FIFA 15 on the horizon the footballing series sees no sign of waning in popularity. This popularity and success is well deserved as EA continue to release increasingly more polished and realistic iterations in the series. However, what if you're looking for something a little different? Therefore, I thought I'd take a look at some alternative football games.

'FIFA 15 looks to improve on Messi's performance in the game. Not that he needs much help.'

5. FIFA Street (2012)

'Graffiti makes a much welcome change from corporate logos.'

Hold on, isn't this supposed to be about alternative football games to FIFA? Well, FIFA Street is different as it's not the full fledged football simulator that it's older brother is. Instead it has more of an arcade feel about it and is just as much about pulling off fancy tricks than it is about scoring goals. It's much easier to pick up and play than FIFA and offers fast paced matches across a variety of pitches, where action quickly flits from one end to the other. Along with game breakers that can instantly change the course of a match, FIFA Street offers something fresh and fun whilst still being familiar to FIFA fans.

4. Mega Man Soccer

'Football is even fun to play on the pitch of a post-apocalyptic wasteland.'

During the height of Mega Man's popularity Capcom released Mega Man Soccer for the SNES. More than just a cash in on Mega Man's success, Capcom gave the game a story that fit within the Mega Man cannon and more excitingly gave the characters special abilities. Each player had four abilities: running, kicking, tackling and defence. Then as you battled thorough the 'Capcom Championship' mode players could acquire the abilities of beaten teams to help build their squad. This included abilities like Fire Man's special ability to set the ball ablaze and anyone who touched it would be stunned. Admittedly, the games controls weren't very good but it offers a fun, bizarre twist on your regular football game.

3. Mario Strikers: Charged

'Mario didn't know that mushrooms were a banned substance due to obvious performance improving side effects.'

For a portly plumber Mario is incredibly sporty, having tried his hand at karting, tennis and golf. Much like Mario's other sporting ventures, Mario Strikers Charged brings Mario's cast of supporting characters and literally throws the football game on its head. After choosing a captain from familiar faces such as Luigi and Toad, you then fill out your squad with other members of Mario's world and then unleash frantic, frenzied football. As well as unleashing skill shots and mega shoots, red shells, thunderbolts and bananas are all part of your arsenal as matches are chaotic bursts of unadulterated fun. All in all, this makes for a brilliant alternative to the slow and steady games of more serious football simulations.

2. Red Card

'I was honestly trying to go for the ball.'

Making Luis Suarez's recent altercation with Italian defender Chiellini look like an friendly hug, Red Card is an unapologetically crass game, that allows you to take out players with flying kicks and full on tackles. The nuts and bolts of the gameplay are similar to any other football game but having the power to full take out an opponent any way you want, often turns games to full on brawls. Along with headbutts and flying kicks, you can also unleash power strikes that sometimes knock the goalkeeper off his feet. As you progress through the game you'll need all these tools at your disposal as you take on teams of dolphins, zombies and a SWAT team. Clearly, realism isn't the aim of Red Card but its violent streak does allow for hilarious matches where your team will willingly jump out of fouls just so they can knock out the opposing team.

1. Sensible Soccer

'It may not look it but Sensible Soccer is one of the greatest football games you'll ever play.'

Of all the football games I've ever played, probably the most enjoyable was Sensible Soccer. Originally released on the Amiga in 1992 Sensible Soccer offered a simple control scheme whilst also remaining one of the most authentic football video game experiences of the time. It offered a bird's eye view which allowed you to plan you approach and also allowed an infamous after-touch feature which allowed you to curve shots at ridiculous angles. As well as incorporating brilliant pick up and play gameplay, Sensible Soccer also offered a lot of depth by offering editable club, national and custom teams. The game spawned several updates including an ill-fated Xbox Live Arcade update which unfortunately suffered various delays and problems. Despite this, the original still offers pure football fun and reminds us of why the beautiful game is so popular both on the pitch off the pitch.

Are there any other alternative football games that you have a fond memory of? Maybe there's other alternative sports games that you think are more enjoyable than their realistic simulation based counterparts? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @Matt_the_Marvel.

Over the last few years we have seen a massive growth in episodic gaming, mostly lead by Telltale Games. After the huge success of The Walking Dead, Telltale Games have been given the reigns to other venerable franchises such as Game of Thrones and Borderlands, which shows episodic gaming is here to stay. Therefore, I thought I'd look at reasons why this format has had such an impact upon the gaming landscape and why we should celebrate its recent popularity.

A Stronger Focus on Narrative

'After one episode of season 2 I'm already hooked.'

Most episodic games have one thing in common a greater emphasis on narrative and story. Now, I wholeheartedly agree that video games need not have a gripping narrative to be enjoyable. At the moment, I'm playing a lot of Resogun and hell if I know why the keepers are so desperate to abduct humans made of green pixels. However when a game has a absorbing story, it drives you on to play more and even at times forgive some of its technical shortcomings. With episodic gaming, developers and writers have to grab your attention, so often they don't waste time with over-long tutorials or pointless A to B meandering. They have to focus on drama rather than action and this both gives the narrative propensity and room to breathe. We're hit with dramatic moments, yet the episodic structure allows room for the characters to develop and for overarching stories to play out. Whilst there are many other games that have great stories, episodic gaming has allowed developers to experiment somewhat with stories, proving the videos game is a medium that can tell stories in new and interesting ways.

Easily Digestible Slices of Gaming

'I will use the TV to complete my 60 hour long JRPG.'

As hobbies go, gaming is one that demands a lot of our time, taking us away from other commitments in our life such as work, family, friends and sleep. However, sometimes life gets in the way and keeping up with latest gaming releases is a struggle if not impossible if you wish to keep said job, family, friends and sanity. Looking at my Twitter feed alone, I can see many gamers scheduling time over the holidays to catch up with all the games they have missed. Luckily, episodic gaming allows us to digest perfectly formed slices of gaming pleasure that nourish the soul.

Often these games aren't brimmed with thousands of collectibles or time consuming achievements. Instead they focus on delivering an absorbing experience, that doesn't dwell on the mechanics of its gameplay and your mastery of them. Also once you've completed these episodic games there isn't often the need to play them again, unless you want to experience the story differently. Even then a second playthough doesn't take up much time. Understandably not all games can or should be like this but sometimes it's refreshing to experience short episodic games, that deliver big moments in a short space of time. It leaves you feeling satisfied and you can quickly jump back into finding all 718 of those Pokemon.

Consequences

'I don't like your hair. Is that good enough reason to shoot?'

Whilst not all episodic games force you to make far reaching decisions, the most popular ones do so. What's great about games such as The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us is that these decisions have consequences that affect further episodes. Not only are the decisions you have to make incredibly difficult but they keep you invested in the action and the story. You know the decisions you make will impact upon the other characters and situations. Some of these consequences can be seen immediately but most of the time you know that you wont see the affect of your decisions until later episodes. Therefore, it's impossible to escape the temptation to see how your decisions will play out. I'm aware that there are many other games that allow you to make decisions, but it's the gap in between episodes that adds weight to your decisions. Just like the decisions you make in real life, you have to reflect upon the decisions you've made and wait to see what the consequences will be.

The Anticipation

'The wait for episode 2 is starting to make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry.'

Anticipation can be a double edged sword but for episodic games it mostly brings satisfaction. The wait between episodes for these games can at times be frustrating (especially if you're waiting for EU release dates) like most other games, but the wait in between episodes builds barely controllable excitement. Any snippet of information on future episodes is drooled over, something Telltale have clearly latched onto through their vines on Twitter. Then when new episodes are finally released you download them as soon as possible. There's not many other games I would download as a day one purchase, in fact sometimes it's more of an hour one purchase.

The wait in between episodes also allows the games to stay within your memory for longer. One of the reasons I believe that Telltale's The Walking Dead topped many game of the year lists is because it was a game that was played over the year. It stayed in the memory of gamers as they experienced all five episodes over the year. Also it made The Walking Dead's conclusion all that more powerful as you felt you experienced the journey of the characters over time. Upon reflection, I'm much happier that I experienced the game as each episode released, rather than on it's eventual retail release or after all the episodes had been released, proving that anticipation really can make your enjoyment of something better.

Smaller Production Costs = Bigger Risks

'Is this a painting or screenshot?'

The benefit of episodic games is that they often have smaller production costs than your tripe A releases. Therefore, they don't need to shift millions of copies to be successful. This allows such games to take bigger risks as with the like of Kentucky Route Zero. They can adopt abstract art styles or narratives that are more experimental or mature. There's not a need to satisfy a 'mass market' like some mainstream games. Maybe some mainstream games could adopt a structure. Actually, I believe Alan Wake could have been more successful had it adopted such a structure.This is not meant to deride other triple A releases. In fact, many of my favourite games are mainstream releases but it's always refreshing to experience something different, even if it's not totally successful. However, clearly episodic games are now finding a new popularity and hopefully this will allow other developers to experiment with the format, as it clearly has a lot of potential. Who knows, maybe we could see an episodic RPG or FPS?

So are you a fan of episodic games? What are your favourites in the genre? Would you like to see more episodic games? Let me know in the comments below.

As we approach the end of yet another gaming year many websites and gaming publications will be revealing their games of the year. However, isn't this just a little staid and over familiar? Is it ever surprising to find that Call of Duty/Battlefield [insert number here] has won the best shooter category. Do such awards really reflect a year which has been so significant as 2013? Well I thought I'd create my own set of awards that hopefully reflects the real gaming stories of 2013.

Best use of a Welsh Accent - Drippy

'A proper tidy picture this is.'

The King of Fairies; powerful, magnificent and...Welsh. Probably the greatest masterstroke in localisation ever, Drippy your loyal companion and guide in Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is voiced with a Welsh accent. From the outset this adds to the charm of Ni No Kuni, which feels like your living and breathing in a Studio Ghibli film. This is probably due to the fact Level 5 made the game in association with the legendary animation studio and it's the greatest JRPG tag team since Square-Enix and Disney shook hands. What a delight it is to play too, although you could have been forgiven for forgetting about its release as we first saw it right at the beginning of the year. However, I found it difficult to forget especially with such a memorable character as Drippy who would always make me beam ear to ear every time he was on screen or hobbling alongside me. To create such likable guide for a character is a great achievement in a genre when they can often be annoying (here's looking at you Tingle). In the words of Drippy himself he's a 'proper tidy' character who's a true original.

Reinvention of the Year - Lara Croft

'Isn't Lara hot?'

Madonna, Lady GaGa; now Lara Croft can be added to the list of popular female characters who have managed to reinvent themselves. Although, Lara managed one better than her fellow icons of popular culture and actually reinvented herself as a proper human being. Lara was no longer the gun slinging sex symbol with disproportionate assets, she was presented as a real character with real emotions. Along with these new set of emotions came a brave and determined Lara who had a genuine inner strength to overcome adversity. On top of this, she managed to star in probably the best action/adventure game of the year, maybe one of the best of this console generation (or should that be last?). Lara's abilities grew as she progressed through the adventure, maturing into a believable character who's reinvention will hopefully inspire other game developers to create female characters who are more grounded (but still kick ass).

Most Life Draining Game - Animal Crossing: New Leaf

'So many flowers to water, so many trees to shake.'

If your own life wasn't draining enough, you could have another one that drained even more in 2013 in the shape of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. No other game this year absorbed so much of gamers' lives this year as Animal Crossing as it's a game you can never win at, just like life. There's always jobs to do, fish to catch and furniture to buy. Also this is a game the follows you through the seasons, so you have to wait literal calendar months before you can experience everything. Well, not unless you feel like cheating and travelling through time. However, in Animal Crossing you can't just time travel Scott-free, there are penalties. Despite such annoyances, Animal Crossing is just as enjoyable as real life if not more so as it's far more colorful and filled with more interesting characters. So if you lost your life to this game you can be forgiven as you were probably starting a new more rewarding one instead.

Best Performance in a Bad Movie - Ellen Page

'What a striking movie..ahem...game poster.'

Despite the forum baiting award title, I am in fact an admirer of David Cage's work including Beyond: Two Souls. However, it does highlight how divisive this game is. Is it pushing boundaries or merely trying to ape the more mature medium of cinema? Is it really a game or just a sequence of interactive cutscenes? No matter where you stand on the argument, there's no denying that Ellen Page's motion captured performance of Jodie is excellent and would impress even the loudest naysayers. It's a performance that is nuanced, with both light and shade and it holds together a non-linear narrative that is frustrating rather than clever.

However, Beyond: Two Souls yet again raises the argument about gaming's place within mainstream media. Attention from some mainstream media would have you believe that more games should be aiming towards Beyond's vision yet others within the gaming industry would argue that games need not try to opt for the trappings of other mediums such as film.

Personally I understand the different perspectives on the issue; games should be aiming for the same level of ambition that Beyond aims for, yet they shouldn't try to be aping other mediums and this is where Beyond unfortunately unravels. Despite enjoying my experience of Beyond: Two Souls it too often felt like an interactive movie, which therefore meant I had to judge it as a movie. Unfortunately judging Beyond as a movie doesn't do it any favors as despite Ellen's fantastic performance the plot is too disparate and contrived to be truly moving. Too often the game throws us into big dramatic moments with no build up, therefore we simply don't care about what's happening. Although credit where credit is due, Ellen does gives us a lot of the 'feels' and this should be rightly applauded.

Best Ending that Required a Spreadsheet to Understand - Bioshock Infinite

'Welcome to the spot the clues to the ending game'

Endings are a difficult nut to crack, especially in video games as players have often spent hours upon hours battling through a campaign hoping for a satisfying resolution. Ken Levine knows this too well, as after creating amazing worlds in the likes of System Shock 2 and the original Bioshock he has struggled to deliver a knockout blow during the final stretch. However, with Bioshock Infinite he outdid himself and managed to deliver an ending that is as satisfying as it is convoluted. To go into specific details would truly spoil an ending that has to be experienced, however I will say it's a great example of retroactive storytelling. Bioshock Infinite's ending practically invites you to play it again and when you do you notice all the finer details you missed on your first playthrough, which just adds to richness and depth an ending that has been meticulously crafted from the moment you boot up the game.

Biggest Thing Ever Award - Grand Theft Auto V

'I always opt for a push bike. I think I maybe playing GTA V wrong.'

Not only did Rockstar provides us with probably the biggest, most diverse open world ever seen in a video game, but the biggest entertainment launch ever. In fact, gaming has had this claim for the last couple of years with the annual release of Call of Duty. However, this year Activision were suspiciously quiet upon Call of Duty Ghosts' release, especially in regards to specific number of sales. Therefore we have a new king and Grand Theft Auto V has rightfully earned it's place on the throne. Whilst it may only hold this crown for one more year, it is a significant achievement for a game that genuinely excelled in every area (I'm choosing to forget about the GTA Online). The success of these mainstream games continues to show the enormity of the games industry and how lucrative it has become. Long may it continue.

Hardest Decision Ever - Xbox One vs PS4

'If only blue and green weren't my two favorite colors.'

Depending on the amount of funds in your (or your parents) bank account, this holiday season was particularly cruel/thrilling. After waiting over seven years for a new console generation, two new consoles came within weeks of each other; the Xbox One and the PS4. Whilst there are many fanboys who had probably made their minds up before the consoles were announced, there was still a large percentage of gamers who were undecided, including myself. Affording both was a stretch at best and bankrupting at worst, therefore I had to make the decision that was best for me. In the end I opted for a PS4, whilst my brother opted for an Xbox One. I'm sure we'll both get the rival consoles when their prices are reduced, but such stiff competition really had me examining what I enjoy as a gamer . However, I did find the always amicable war of words between Sony and Microsoft both exciting and gripping.

Most Audacious Release Scheduling Ever - Nintendo

'They're not cute and cuddly mascots, they're world destroying monsters.'

Whilst Microsoft were hogging up all the headlines with the worldwide release of the Xbox One, Nintendo decided that rather than hide in the shadows, they would release not just one but two of their biggest releases of the year, in the shape of Super Mario 3D World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Rather than show off with flashy graphics (although both are by no means ugly) or dedicated servers allowing for 64 players, both these games demonstrated Nintendo's unrelenting quest for perfect game design. Game design that both harks back to the past and steers itself towards the future. At first glance it's difficult to see why Nintendo decided to release these games at such a busy time but upon reflection it makes perfect sense. Both the Xbox One and PS4 will have to wait for their 'killer app' titles but Nintendo now have several on both home and handheld consoles. I'm aware that the Wii U has struggled but it still manages to provide pure gaming exhilaration, like that seen in Super Mario 3D World, that is difficult to match.

Game of the Year - The Last of Us

'What do you mean by you don't like my range of flannel shirts?'

I know I said these were an alternative set of awards but the outstanding quality of The Last of Us demands that I give it my game of the year of award, which I'm sure won't be its last. Most years, deciding the game of the year can be difficult but personally I feel there's no competition. The Last of Us in every sense of the word is a masterpiece; its design, story and even multiplayer are magnificent accomplishments. There's an overwhelming sense that The Last of Us is just that little bit more mature than your average game, just that little bit more assertive in it's vision. It doesn't feel like it's pandering to an audience by cramming in wall to wall set pieces, like so many other mainstream games do. In fact, some of it's greatest moments don't even involve combat or traditional gameplay elements; it's in exploring the environment or a witty remark from Ellie.Yet it's not a patronising exercise on the state of game design, like some indie games can be accused of at times. As Charlie Brooker stated in his excellent documentary on How Video Game Changed The World it's more akin to "the critically acclaimed HBO box set" and what an enjoyable box set it is too.

So what would game awards would you come up with to celebrate 2013? What are you stand out moments of the year? Disagree in my choice of game of the year? Let me know in the comments below.

Speculation has been rife this week surrounding the possibility of Bethesda releasing details of Fallout 4. First there was The Survivor 2299 website and now Bethesda have trademarked Fallout 4 in Europe. Whether this will lead to an announcement or not is up for debate, but considering the popularity of the franchise, it's more than likely that Bethesda have already been working on a new Fallout game for some time. Therefore, I thought I'd look at the features that I would like to see in a new Fallout game, especially considering the potential it could have being released at the dawn of a new console generation.

'Is a new Fallout game on the horizon?'

A New Graphics Engine

'Don't you just hate it when people don't look you in the eye?'

I'm by no means a graphics junkie, but the graphics engine used in Fallout 3 and Fallout:New Vegas can't exactly be described as breathtaking or, dare I say it, functional in some cases.Whilst graphic fidelity isn't the be all and end all, when the graphics engine has problems supporting basic gameplay (as it did some times in New Vegas) it can become frustrating. Some graphical glitches may be amusing and add to the charm but too many spoil the immersion. Therefore, I'd like to see a truly next generation graphic engine at the backbone of a new Fallout. Not only would this improve the overall enjoyment of the gameplay but also help fully absorb players into the intriguing world of Fallout, which has always been one of its biggest draws. I'm not expecting ground breaking technology as this would be unrealistic in a game so openly diverse as Fallout, but it should be stable and at least look a little pretty. With the technology available to Bethesda, this should be in the realms of possibility. Just look how great a huge game like Grand Theft Auto V looked on old hardware. Surely, a large Fallout world could be rendered beautiful on next generation consoles.

A Huge, Diverse Wasteland

'Could do with a bit more green.'

Fallout games have always offered a large open world, however it would be great to see Bethesda push the boundaries a little more. Despite it taking over a hundred hours to explore every inch of Fallout 3 and New Vegas, there were still areas that were repeated, or just plain empty. I understand this is sort of the point, what with Fallout being a post-apocalyptic RPG, but more variety wouldn't hurt. New Vegas managed to offer more variety as some areas weren't as affected by nuclear devastation. Although still too much of the interior locations repeated similar layouts, with some areas having very little reason to explore other than to find a few more tin cans. Therefore, it would be more impressive to see a varied landscape, with interesting and diverse locations, that had interiors with striking level design. Even if locations don't have a great deal of loot, inventive graphic design can be genuinely affective. Look at games such as The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite; a lot of their narrative is told just as much through the environment as it is through dialogue and cut scenes. Obviously, this is more challenging in an open world game, but a stronger emphasis on level design wouldn't hurt.

This would be some deviation from previous Fallout games but adding vehicles could add a new interesting aspect to gameplay. If vehicles were to be added to Fallout I would imagine that they would be rare and difficult to get hold of. Maybe you would have to scavenge for parts to help build and maintain your vehicle. This would make owning a vehicle more valuable to players and they would take more care in maintaining it, rather than trying to drive it straight up a cliff face or into an army of mutants (well not unless your added a plough). Maybe players on harder difficulties players could even manage petrol, ensuring that players are making wise decisions about when to use vehicles. This would all add to the survival nature of the gameplay and make players take pride in their vehicles just as they do their modified and constructed weapons.

A Survival Mode that Adapts

'A man and his dog.......and his AK47, 5 tins of beans, 3 frag grenades and 3 bottles of water.'

Fallout New Vegas offered a great option to play in Hardcore Mode, which wasn't merely a higher difficulty setting but made survival its main focus. Players had to manage their radiation level, thirst and sleep as well as all the usual aspects such as health. It would be great to see this mode emphasised more, maybe by introducing a survivor mode that adapts. For example if you're running particularly low on water you could come across it more in your travels. On the other hand if you're doing really well, maybe there could be sudden changes that affect your survival, such as the weather for example. I'm no meteorologist but surely a nuclear apocalypse would affect the weather? Obviously, there needs to be the option to turn these features off, as I could understand how some of these elements would be overwhelming for some players. However, there clearly is a demand for such gameplay with the growth in games that emphasise survival and what game requires survival more than Fallout?

But still more of the same

'If only VATS was available during my high school years.'

Despite my suggestions on what could be implemented to make a great new Fallout game, there are still many aspects that are worth keeping. Firstly, there's the VATS system which adds both strategy and cinematic dismemberments. Everything looks great in slow motion and seeing your enemies explode still offers enormous satisfaction. I would assume it would be tweaked but there doesn't need to be a dramatic overhaul. Also there's the breadth of side quests, which involve you in stories of both the moving and bizarre. These ventures off track often offer up the best moments in Fallout games and it would be great to see more of them, as long as they continue to deliver the characters and situations that we all enjoy. Then there's the retro-futuristic aesthetic along with including classic songs such as 'Ain't that a kick in the head.' Surely, this is to be expected in any Fallout game but the possibilities a new generation of consoles provides could mean we get these elements realised with more polish and panache.

So what would you like see in a new Fallout game? Kinect enabled companion directions? Online enabled multiplayer? Let me know in the comments below.

Whilst Sony and Microsoft have been shouting about the arrival of the next generation, over the past few months Valve have steadily been releasing more intriguing information about their own Steam hardware, including announcing it's own OS, controller and teasing who will manufacture their eventual 'Steam Machine.' Therefore I thought I'd hypothesise through wild and not so wild speculation at the possible impact Valve's new hardware could have upon the video game industry and whether traditional home console manufacturers should be worried.

A User base of 65 Million

'All these people use Steam.'

Whilst Sony and Microsoft have many millions of subscribers, neither come close to the 65 million who are users of Steam. Despite Valve not officially announcing details about how users steam accounts will work with their new hardware, one would assume that users will be able to access their existing Steam account on Valve's new hardware. This could mean carrying over users current stats, but it could also mean carrying over previous purchases. Now this is assuming a lot, but it's clear to see how this would be a huge benefit to many users of Steam. After all there's nothing worse than having to re-purchase your favourite games for a new games console just because you old ones are incompatible. This could mean that many of your favourite games are already playable on your new Steam Machine, which moves me onto my next point.

A Huge Library of Games

'All these games are yours.'

Whilst this is total speculation, the new Steam Machine could hypothetically give you access to the thousands upon thousands of games that are currently on Steam, with more being added daily. What a selection of games there is too. Not only will you find all the multi-platform, mainstream games you would find across most consoles, but also the best range of independent and PC exclusive titles (Yes there are still games you can only play with a PC or Mac). Therefore the new Steam Machine could give you access to the largest library of games on a console...ever. This could outright obliterate the notion of the typical game drought that follows the release of a new console. However, this is assuming all these titles will be available, which has in no way been confirmed. It's possible that maybe only some titles will be playable on their new machine. Or it could that be machines, as Valve recently revealed that they will be announcing their hardware partners at CES 2014. Notice the plural in partners. Therefore this could mean that we're presented with a variety of machines that have different specifications. As we know PC games vary widely in the specifications required to run them. Therefore it's possible that models with lower specifications won't run games that require higher specifications. I believe this is unlikely but it shouldn't be ruled out as a possibility.

The Steam Machines (Plural)

'Which one will you choose?'

The recent announcement that Valve will be announcing its hardware partners at CES 2014 all but confirmed that there will be a variety of Steam Machines available to purchase. Therefore it's possible we could have a variety of machines, with varying specifications and varying price points. Offering this choice could hugely benefit the consumers as they will be able to choose a solution to best suit them. Some people maybe looking for a PC gaming experience in their living room at a reasonable price, so they could adopt for an entry level machine with modest specifications. On the other hand, there maybe a gamer who wishes to experience the sheer graphical horse power of PC gaming on their 50' 4K TV. Hopefully these devices will be offered at different price points too, including ones that are comparable to next generation console. Also with Valve's reputation of embracing the community, it's likely Valve would allow gamers to create and modify their own steam machines. Whilst gamers have been hacking and modifying consoles for years, being able to do so without having to get around the legal barriers could allow for truly spectacular community innovation.

A Truly Innovative Controller

'Don't you just want to touch it?'

However maybe Valve's secret weapon is their new innovative controller. This unique design clearly aims to marry the precision of the keyboard and mouse, along with the accessibility of a console controller. Obviously it's difficult to assess the success of a controller without using it yourself, but first reports sound promising:

Also another benefit of the controller is that it's totally customisable, so therefore gamers can set up their own control schemes. I'm aware that console games offer a variety of controller set ups, however this controller allows gamers to map the buttons how you wish. Finally it's definitely different and with controllers for the next generation evolving current designs it's at least refreshing to see something new.

Should Sony and Microsoft be worried?

'Should we be ditching our next-gen pre-orders?'

So does this all mean we should be ditching our next-gen pre-orders and wait for the Steam Machine? Not yet, there's still many questions surrounding the Steam Machine. Most importantly of which is what the final Steam Machines will be like and how much will they cost? If they're over priced it would be difficult to see either console or PC gamers purchasing an experience they could get elsewhere. Also with the announcement that they'll be no exclusive games for the Steam Machine, they'll be no other reason than owning a device other than having a PC experience in your living room. Reflecting on whether the Steam Machine interests me I would say it most definitely does, I wouldn't have written this blog otherwise. However if I was to purchase one, I would more likely purchase a modest specified machine at a reasonable price point and probably after picking up my Playstation 4 or Xbox One.

So what do you think? Are you interested in the Steam Machine? Do you think Sony and Microsoft should be worried? Do you think Valve's step into the living room is misguided? Let me know in the comments below.